Strengthening management capacity of the veterinary services in Vietnam

On June 23, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held a “Consultation meeting to support the implementation of the roadmap for strengthening the management capacity of Vietnam's veterinary services in Vietnam, 2021-2030”.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien stated that the attendance at this meeting demonstrates the necessary and effective attention, cooperation, and support of the international community to Vietnam in the veterinary services, with the vital mission to protect animal health, food safety, human health, and the environment, and then to bring happiness to all people.

Vietnam has paid significant attention to the prevention and treatment of animal diseases and the regulation of antibiotics in accordance with the One Health philosophy, with significant support from the international and domestic community, in recent years. Vietnam has effectively controlled several hazardous diseases and prevented their transmission to humans, ensuring food safety, protecting the welfare of the human community, and ecology, and integrating into the international community.

Vietnam has overcome the Covid-19 pandemic; however, the veterinary services in Vietnam have demonstrated a number of flaws and obstacles that prevent them from meeting current practical demands.

According to the MARD leader, to overcome these challenges, Vietnam has adopted Resolution 19-NQ/TW of the Central Committee on June 16, 2022, on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas to 2030, with a vision to 2045; directing in detail for the veterinary services, including promoting research, mastering research technologies, vaccine production, and veterinary drugs; synchronizing and effectively implementing the technological system of the veterinary system, animal quarantine, and enhancing disease prevention and combat; and enhancing the quality of veterinary services

Vietnam also approved a plan titled "Strengthening Specialized Veterinary Management Agencies at All Levels for the Period 2021–2030" with the goals of consolidating, consolidating, and enhancing capacity, ensuring effective and efficient organization and implementation of veterinary activities, effectively controlling animal diseases, safeguarding public health, and actively integrating with the international community.

The plan identifies eight significant solutions that must be implemented by 2030, including reviewing and completing legal documents, mechanisms, policies, criteria, and technical standards of the veterinary sector; consolidating the capacity of veterinary management agencies at all levels; enhancing the capacity of animal quarantine, slaughtering control, and food safety control for animals and animal-based products; enhancing the veterinary drug management capacity; enhance international cooperation in the veterinary sector; and enhancing the capacity on animal quarantine, slaughtering control, and food

After two years of the program's implementation, positive results have been realized.

The veterinary's legal documents, mechanisms, policies, criteria, and technical standards were reviewed and finalized. A series of programs and plans were submitted to the Government, including the National Program for foot-and-mouth disease Prevention and control, period 2021-2025; Plans on preventing and combating lumpy skin disease in herds of cows and buffalos in the period 2022-2030; National program on preventing and combating Rabies in the period 2022-2030; National plan for prevention and control of a number of dangerous diseases in farmed aquatic products in the period 2021-2025; and National plan for prevention and

The Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have invested in building and upgrading infrastructure and equipment for the units under the Department of Animal Health; two key laboratories, in particular, will soon be recognized as biosafety level III laboratories.

With the participation and support of 27 international organizations, the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Health, and Natural Resources and Environment have also established the One Health Partnership Framework.

33 of the 63 provinces and localities contain a district-level Veterinary Station. There are 16,000 individuals providing veterinary services across the nation. Vietnam has allocated over 500 billion VND (approximately 25 million USD) to implement veterinary tasks and the Veterinary scheme. During 2021-2023, international communities will collaborate and support Vietnam in implementing animal disease prevention and control activities, antimicrobial surveillance, warning and control activities, and One Health Partnership Framework activities, among others.

To effectively implement the scheme on veterinary's affairs, MARD urged international organizations and other nations to maintain their attention and support to the Vietnamese veterinary's affairs sector in terms of technical, expert, and financial funding to implement these significant missions, including:

First, implement effectively 6 National programs and plans approved by the Prime Minister to effectively control animal diseases, particularly the cross-border transmission disease, diseases transmissible across international borders, and diseases transmissible among animals.

Second, implementing disease prevention initiatives with the lowest costs and utmost effectiveness.

Third, investing in infrastructure upgrades and centralized labor to consolidate disease monitoring, research, vaccine production, and evaluation.

Produce vaccines against severe maladies such as bird flu, African swine fever, and others, as a result of transferring science and technology to veterinary services.

Enhancing antibiotic capacity and design, monitoring, and issuing a warning will ensure food safety.

Next, construct a veterinary database system and an online system to connect all levels of veterinary agencies.

Training and capacity enhancement for Vietnam's veterinary officials. Epidemiology, disease prevention, and control, as well as risk assessment for exporting and importing animals.

Cooperating with international organizations to provide veterinary services ranks ninth.

Finally, evaluating and constructing legal documents on veterinary's issues.